"Silver Linings Playbook" stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence as two people trying to live down their pasts and forget their tragedies while living with their parents.

MICHELLE: I waited for this to open. Jennifer Lawrence impressed me in "Winter's Bone". And the previews made it look like an odd relationship film. In reality it's much more interesting. It's about the line between quirky and mentally ill and how often some people cross it. It's like "Rachel Getting Married" and "Something's Gotta Give" were put in a blender. Both our heroes have pasts — embarrassing and tragic, messy and understandable.

ALLEN: You will laugh while watching this film, but you earn that laughter by dealing with some uncomfortable, sometimes tragic, situations. The characters are real people dealing with real problems. And for once the movie doesn't ask you to feel sorry for the rich film executive, living in a million dollar house and struggling with relationship issues. These are working class folks living in Philadelphia. Because our heroes are struggling they each live in their parent's house.

MICHELLE: Cooper has been getting a couple of starring roles since "The Hangover" films. He's proven he can do comedy and romance, quirky and regular guy parts. This gives him a chance to flex his muscles next to Robert DeNiro. It's been a while since I've seen DeNiro this amazing. There's a part where he breaks down and tells his son that they talk about sports because they love each other. He completely got me.

ALLEN: DeNiro's character was my favorite in the film. While Cooper plays someone who has been committed to an institution due to bi-polar disorder, DeNiro's character is clearly suffering from the same issue, though undiagnosed. It was interesting to watch his family deal with this without acknowledging it.

MICHELLE: Because we've all dealt with crazy relatives. What makes it more frustrating is realizing that you share some of their "quirks" ? especially the ones you like the least. An alternative title for the film could be that great line from "Rent" ? "I'm looking for baggage that goes with mine." I thought the use of the dance competition was a great metaphor for where these characters are in life. Sometimes winning doesn't come with a trophy. Sometimes you're just thrilled you finished without falling.